1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to internal combustion engines, and more particularly pertains to a new rotary internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various rotary engine structures have been proposed in the prior art, and a common trait of the proposed engines is that the same rotor member is employed to induct or suck air into the operative chamber of the engine and to also convert the energy of the burning and expanding gases into rotational energy. Some proposals have involved blowing or partially compressing the intake air prior to moving the air into the combustion chamber, but it is believed that the degree of compression has been relatively limited and thus the amount of air moving into the combustion chamber or chambers is close to what would normally be pulled in by the movement of the rotor structure in the combustion chamber without the initial pressurization.
The supply of a significant and sufficient amount of compressed air to the combustion chamber of a rotary engine is believed to enhance the efficiency of the engine as the rotation of the rotor in the combustion chamber is not as taxed by having to pull the air into the chamber or by having to compress the charge of air once the air has been moved into the combustion chamber.
It is therefore believed that there is a need for a rotary engine design that is able to make available to the combustion chamber a significant amount of compressed air so that the rotor of the compression chamber is not required to pull the charge air into the chamber and is not required to compress the charge air once in the chamber.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of rotary engines now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new rotary internal combustion engine construction with an enhanced and more efficient induction system for moving air into the engine and delivering the air to the combustion chamber.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a housing defining a cavity with a central axis, and the cavity of the housing is divided into three compartments. The first compartment forms a suction chamber, and the third compartment forms a combustion chamber. A drive shaft extends through the cavity, a first rotor in the first compartment is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft, a first vane is mounted on the first rotor, a second rotor in the third compartment is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft, and a second vane is mounted in the second rotor. The second compartment is positioned between the first and third compartments and holds compressed air after leaving the first chamber and before entering the second chamber.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The advantages of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.